Story and photos by Cheyann Carr/COMM 2311-601 (Lubbock)
Upon entering Sawyer Crane’s academic office at South Plains College, you notice several paintings on the wall. She stands next to one that depicts flowers and a vase in varying shades of pink.
It’s a painting so detailed, you may feel as though you could pull the flowers right out of the vase that holds them.
Crane started teaching art this fall semester at SPC.
“I teach four classes,” she says, “two sections of Design 1 and then two sections of Art Appreciation.”
SPC student Ikia Miller is in Crane’s art appreciation class. She describes Crane as really nice, quiet, and organized.
“The class is energetic,” she says.
Before coming to SPC, Crane says she taught at public high school for nine years.
But outside the classroom, it’s obvious from the pieces on display in Crane’s academic office that she is an artist. Her niche: botanical illustration.
“Botanical is like plants and flowers,” she says. “And then illustration is like accurate depictions of plants and flowers.”
Crane clearly likes to share her knowledge of painting and plants.
“I also wrote and published a book,” she says, “about creating art outside.”
The book is called, “Becoming a Wildflower: A Field Guide to Creating Art Outside, Embracing Fresh Air, and Blooming to Your Full Potential.”
According to a description of the book on Amazon.com, it features Crane’s original illustrations throughout.
Back in the classroom, Crane brings her art and style to students. She says she hopes they will learn a lot about art and they will not be afraid to express themselves.
“I hope that, especially in art appreciation,” she says, “that they just take the desire to make something and they will make it.”
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